good wednesday morning. coming up on "early today," major recall. general motors is facing an expansive recall for a faulty ignition switch found on over a million cars and it's linked to deaths. an anti-gay bill that could have huge implicatis for her state. lucky dog. a california couple walking their dog find gold rush coins worth over $10 million. plus, the number of people with health care goes up while the number of overweight kids goes down. the first report that taxes raised from the sale of legal marijuana are in. it is wednesday, february 26th, "early today" starts right now.

good wednesday morning to you, i'm frances rivera. a major recall is expanding after deaths have doubled. it involved defective ignition switches in 1.6 general motors vehicles in the united states, canada and new mexico. that faulty switch can inadvertently turn off which shuts down the engine and most electrical components including air bag a systems needed in crashes. i want to you take a look at these models carefully because they include 2003 to 2007 saturn ions, 2006 to 2007 chevrolet hhrs, pontiac solstices and saturn sky models joining the already recalled 2005 to 2007 chevrolet cobalt and pontiac g5 sedans and the 2005 to 2007 pontiac pursuit sold in canada only. now in a statement gm's north america president says, quote,

ensuring our customers' safety is our first order of business. we are deeply sorry, and we are working to address the issue as quickly as we can. gm will notify all affected customers and make repairs at no charge. meantime, though, drivers should only use the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring. let's take you to arizona. the call to veto a controversial bill is reaching a groundswell. it would allow businesses to deny services to gays and lesbians based on religious beliefs. three people close to governor jan brewer tell nbc news she is likely to veto it. the governor previously said she has until friday to make a decision, but governor brewer herself has not said how she will act. late last night she tweeted, quote, i assure you, as always, i will do the right thing for the state of arizona. but the chorus of opposition is growing. former gop nominee mitt romney is the latest to weigh in tweeting directly that a veto is right. romney joins arizona senators

john mccain and jeff flake in opposition. also yelp, delta airlines, and intel are joining an already hefty list of companies encouraging a veto. but those in support say the bill would protect the right of private businesses to service whomever they please. a frustrated president obama has issued an ultimatum to the president of afghanistan, sign a security agreement or all u.s. troops are heading home when the afghan war ends at the end of the year. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington following the developments. tracy, good morning, any word yet from harmid karzai? >> reporter: not yet. the plan was to leave thousands of u.s. troops in afghanistan after the official end of the war but now without that security agreement signed, president obama is telling the pentagon to get their plans ready in case he wants to bring everyone home.

in a phone call president obama gives afghan president hamid karzai, sign an agreement or all troops leave this year. >> i can't ask men and women to serve in a country without the protections served by a bilat rl security agreement. >> reporter: that's martin dempsey on the ground. they want to leave 10,000 troops after this year to help afghans keep an eye on the taliban and al qaeda but that can't happen until the bsa is a done deal. >> the longer we go without a bsa, we've been making this clear, the more challenging it will be to plan. >> they may be trying to send president karzai a message, you're pushing your luck. >> reporter: karzai said he may leave the decision up to the next president which for the u.s. may be too late. the world is watching. chuck hagel's meeting with nato

in brussels. >> right at the front end of the agenda will be afghanistan. >> reporter: the war is ending but the size of the troop pullout, that's still up in the air. now, one measure of how this is going is the level of communication between the two countries, and this phone call this week between president obama and karzai, it was actually the first time, frances, that they touched base directly since last june. >> wow. imagine that. tracie, thank you very much. president obama says 4 million people have already signed up for health care but he wants a lot more. he urged people at the organizing for action to make a big push to reach 7 million enrollees. for some people, you just have to get their attention. >> and then there are some folks who do like me, but they just don't know because they're not paying attention. because, you know, they're on one of the other channels that has "real housewives" or something.

>> the open enrollment ends on march 31st. apparently there is gold in them there hills. a lucky northern california couple have struck it rich after discovering $10 million worth of gold coins on their property. the two were walking their dog when they stumbled upon six rusty metal cans holding the treasure. the coins are uncirculated currency from the 1800s. experts say some are so rare they can fetch nearly a million dollars apiece. >> and it's literally a buried treasure story -- walking along the road, seeing a can full of gold coins. why doesn't it happen to you and me? pretty exciting for them, i would say. i don't know a lot about them, but i heard that they needed the money. >> that's because the couple wants to remain anonymous to ward off any anonymous people or third cousins. >> the couple is walk, right? probably both didn't see it. i wonder who saw it first?

whoever saw it first. >> doesn't happen. >> they're highest on the pecking order. >> i'd be happy with a 20. >> it is fun to find a 20. even a dollar is kind of fun. that's your forecast. let's talk about what's going to happen in the west. we are watching the storm system moving on shore. we have three storms in three days more like two and a big one. as far as the rain goes, it's starting to move on shore. the more significant rain for san francisco will happen. in l.a. the more significant rains will be in the afternoon and evening hours. we love to see the rain heading up into northern portions of the rain. that's where it looks like the heaviest ban is. as far as the rainfall goes, south ward you have to wait until later in the day and into the evening hours. in l.a. the bigger storm will come through thursday night into friday with that one and some thunderstorms. it will be windier with that one, too, and that could drop as much as 1 to 2 inches. today the rainfall amounts will be lighter.

into friday, we'll get the heavier amounts. two to three inches. that will be significant. we need it. it's only a small dent into the historic drought we have.morninl california more to the afternoon. so it looks like we have two good storms back to back. >> coming up, oscars, the precious red carpet and the celebrity hair. >> i'll give you a sneak peek of that forecast tom. >> bill, thank you very much. police including the chief are busted in a car theft ring. plus, did the prime minister of turkey tell his son to hide money from authorities? these protesters want the truth next. odors and reduce allergens

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welcome back. 59 students at a nigerian boarding school were shot or burned to death early tuesday by islamic militants. according to school officials, all of the victims were boys and 24 of the school buildings were burned to the ground. hundreds of protestors in turkey clashed with police over voice recordings that allegedly include the prime minister telling his son to hide money from authorities. protesters shot fireworks at police who responded with fire hoses. former new england patriot aaron hernandez got into a jail house fight with another inmate tuesday. the sheriff's department confirmed an altercation took place and that neither hernandez nor the other inmate were injured. tmz claims, however, that hernandez beat up the other prisoner badly. four top police officers in king county, california, have been arrested on corruption charges. the d.a.'s office says they would steal impounded cars and then sell them for profit.

the police chief even involved his brother in the scheme who owns a tow truck company. all right. they're taking a smoking break is one thing, but what about a pot smoking break? well, a police dispatcher there in oklahoma is under arrest after she was caught smoking weed on camera while on duty. yeah, on top of that, in a police station. that dispatcher has offered her resignation. and, no, this isn't an austin powers movie. pope francis himself, look at that, he has a mini me. during carnival in italy the child was hoisted up to the pope even though, look at him, the little guy, no, didn't really want to be there. i'll pass. you know, once in a lifetime opportunity. no thanks. time to get down to business with cnbc's morgan brennan. good morning. >> thanks, frances. delta airlines is revamping its frequent flyer program. starting next year passengers will earn sky miles based on ticket prices instead of how far they fly. members without elite status get

5 miles for every mile flown while elite passengers will get 11 miles per dollar. a county in southern california with two recreational marijuana stores is the first in state to report how much taxes have actually been collected. pueblo county said it generated $1 million in sales, that translates to $56,000 in local sales taxes. meanwhile, the house passes a bill for consumers to unlock their cell phones so they can be used on any carrier. they also help them enlist help from others without breaking the law. back to you. just ahead, heisman winner jameis winston takes on the yankees. plus the platform for college sports next. [ wellington ] multimillion-dollar athletes can afford almost anything. ♪ but what they really want... welcome back, sir. [ wellington ] ...is what they never stop loving. ♪ [ whistles ]

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thousands die each year from underage drinking, and authorities say it's often adults providing the alcohol. today put some grownups to the test with hidden cameras at a local liquor store. the surprising results this morning on "today." this morning, the new york knicks star was freed on $25,000 bail after his arrest on weapons charges, including two felonies for a gun that he was not registered to have. he was issued a six-month order of protection from his wife whose lawyer turned the gun in to police. in college basketball number

two ranked wichita state dominated bradley with a 69-49 win. they were the first team to get 30 wins since jerry tar tanian's unlv did it in the 1990-'91 season. dorian smith scored 19 points as they held off vandy to share the s.e.c. title. the florida state baseball team including heisman trophy winner jameis winston played against the new york yankees. he took a called third strike and grounded out, but all was good. he said he was thrilled to meet derek jeter and other yankees stars. >> i was honored to meet him. it was. sometimes i get to feel like when i talk to little kids how they feel sometimes. sometimes they be speechless like i was with jeter. and jason collins first game

for the new york nets got a lot of attention as he became the first openly gay player in the nba wearing number 46. since then they assigned him 98. fans was to celebrate the historic moment. the demand was called unprecedented especially for a player who is ownnly signed to 10 day contract. >> in case you want to know how big shaquille o'neal is. on the "tonight" show shaq has a new clothing line that fits everybody. everybody? not so much. look what happens when jimmy l fallon tried on shaq's jacket. shaq goes to tryon jimmy's jacket but gave up. not going to happen. before he did any damage to the new host's jacket. all right. just ahead, bill is back with an update on some major weather concerns around the country, plus, alec baldwin. the actor said that he was leaving public life and that he

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phone: your account is already paid in full. oh, well in that case, back to vacation mode. ♪boots and pants and boots and pants♪ ♪and boots and pants and boots and pants♪ ♪and boots and pants... voice-enabled bill pay. just a tap away on the geico app. ♪ huh, 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. yup, everybody knows that. well, did you know that some owls aren't that wise. don't forget about i'm having brunch with meagan tomorrow. who? seriously, you met her like three times. who? geico. while many on the west coast wait for your storm, our nation's capitol is getting another bout of snow after a couple of inches yesterday. they're doing it again this morning. they'd like to see some of the snow move up to the mountains in the west. we should. starting with l.a.x. at the airport, no reports of any rain yet.

probably hold off until the afternoon. again, this isn't the big storm. this will be rain and then the heavier rain will be as we go throughout your friday morning. that's when it will be a pretty rainey shot three days from now. as far as the forecast goes, again, san francisco will see heavier rains today than southern california. we're already starting to watch those rains moving into northern california. again, little safety on the roads. then as we go into thursday, still a chance of some rain out there but the heavier rain will be on friday. probably everywhere will get a break here thursday afternoon, thursday evening. that's when the rains will stop. then it will return especially overnight into the friday morning period. one interesting fact, las vegas will even get some rain out of this storm it looks like on friday. it hasn't rained in las vegas in 83 days. that isn't a big deal since the summertime. this is three months of no rain during the rainey season. it's not the dry season. this is unprecedented. they'll get rain.

>> brutal. southern california. ouch. it's something. >> hopefully we'll be able to call it over achiever. we need more rain. >> bill, thank you very much. after telling the world that he is leaving public life, it was revealed tuesday alec baldwin will be starring in an upcoming episode of law and order. baldwin says he loathes and despises the media will be playing, what else, guess? a newspaper columnist. the march issue will feature katie couric as herself. matthew perry is firing up another sitcom pilot, this time for cbs. the former "friends" star is writing another retake of "the odd couple." looks like vegas is paying off for britney spears. britney, piece of me, has paid millions of dollars. >> copying what celine did. >> long ways off from shaving her head, right? >> yeah. get excited. the red carpet is rolling out

sunday. e will have all the news you can handle even the mani cam for the manny cures. the "entourage" movie will be hitting theaters june 15th hitting it directly against "jurassic world." look what's happening in brazil. they've been pulled by adidas after complaints by the brazilian tourist board. it says, looking to score. >> the most offensive thing is 25 bucks for that t-shirt. >> you're right. i don't know if you can make this out. the second one innocently says i heart brazil. the heart is shaped to look like a rear end thong bikini. i'm frances rivera, this is "early today." we hope it's your first stop of the day on nbc. [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex.

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stories i might have missed. john boehner and president obama in the oval office. it is their first one on one since december of 2012. topics included immigration, obama care, and afghanistan. both sides say the hour long

meeting went well. new this morning, the federal government says it recovered a record breaking $4.3 billion in 2013 from individuals and companies who attempted to bilk the government out of medicare and medicaid. $19.2 million in fraudulent claims have been recovered in the last five years. a new fox nus polls shows 61% of voters have no confidence in congress. 34% have some and 5% have a great deal of confidence. what costs $1.2 million? it takes six months to build. then it goes, you know, 270 miles per hour? >> airplane? >> airplane, close, but maybe on the ground with wheels. this is the hennessy venom gt. it is the fastest production car in the world. the venom edged out the previous fastest car by a mere half a mile per hour. so with a longer runway, hennessy says its car will go even faster. so i don't know who these people are in the world who actually

get a chance to drive these things, 1.2 million that buy one. >> you wouldn't do it? >> hennessy. >> you're not going for a ride in that? >> no, not in this reality of mine, that i call my life, thank you. now a look ahead and a look back. hollywood comes to washington today. ben affleck has state department meetings talking about the congo and seth rogan testifies at a hearing on alzheimer's disease. on this day in 1993 the first world trade center attack as reported on ""nbc nightly news."" thousands poured out of the building gasping for air. eyes glazed of shock. they spoke about the devastation within. >> there was no help whatsoever. trapped 94 floors up. nobody came. >> smoke and the lights went out. i'd say about 70 floors we had no lights. >> reporter: stair wells became smoke stacks. clouds of soot billowed upstairs to the 110 story office towers. i'm frances rivera.

thanks so much for watching "early today." have a great

from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." good wednesday morning, 4:30 i'm scott mcgrew. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. top story, the weather. two strong storms head for the bay area. take a look outside now. san francisco, fremont, san jose. right now windy across the bay area, and the rain already starting to fall. but this is just the beginning. let's turn things over to meteorologist christina loren. the storm seems to be speeding up? >> yeah, we have a lot of rain coming in, just in time for your commute. rain is moving into the bay area an as you can see, the front is impacting the entire bay area, excluding the south bay, we're tt